Musical Romance set to make Calder curtain call before Breeders Cup finale

October 5, 2012|By TIM DWYER, Correspondent

On a day that appears to showcase the best older male sprinters at Calder Casino & Race Course, all eyes will likely be on a couple of females, one of whom will be making her last run around the Miami Gardens track.

Musical Romance, the reigning Eclipse Award outstanding female sprinter, will head a group of 10 entries in in the $55,000 Mike Sherman Memorial on Saturday. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares is scheduled to be the final tune up for Musical Romance as she prepares to defend her crown in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, which will be the final race of her career.

Trainer Bill Kaplan, who co-owns the 5-year-old along with Pinnacle Racing Stable, said that he entered Musical Romance in the Mike Sherman so that her final Breeders' Cup prep race would come four weeks before the Filly & Mare Sprint, slated for Nov. 3 at Santa Anita. The daughter of Concorde's Tune prepped with a race four-weeks prior to her 1 1/2-length triumph in the 2011 Filly & Mare Sprint.

Though Musical Romance may be one of the most accomplished mares to call Calder home, Kaplan emphasized the ultimate goal is a repeat win at the Breeders' Cup for Musical Romance before she is sold as a broodmare at the Fasig-Tipton sale Nov. 5 in Lexington, Ky.

As such, her fitness is more important than a swan-song run over the Calder main track and Kaplan said he would not hesitate to scratch her if he felt running in the Mike Sherman would compromise her chances in the Breeders' Cup.

If she goes to post, Musical Romance would likely face four rivals in the Mike Sherman field from the barn of Marty Wolfson. Wolfson has five fillies entered into the race, but the most accomplished of the quintet, Spectacular Sky, is dual entered and will probably run against the boys in day's feature race, the $75,000 Kenny Noe Jr. Handicap.

The Kenny Noe would be the second race for Spectacular Sky against male foes. The 4-year-old daughter of Sky Mesa posted a 3 ¼-length win in the Whippleton Stakes against older males on Sept. 8. Close It Out and Black Diamond Cat finished in order behind in the Whippleton and will challenge again in the Kenny Noe, to be run at 6 1/2-furlongs.

Spectacular Sky spent her entire racing career in California before being purchased by Miller Racing LLC and moved to Wolfson's barn in June. After finishing 11th in the Princess Rooney in her first race at Calder, the filly has gone on to win her last three starts. Wolfson credits her success to her now racing on dirt as opposed to synthetic surfaces found on most California tracks.

He added that part of the reason for opting into the Kenny Noe is to get Spectacular Sky away from running against stable mates. Ironically, her most formidable foe in the Kenny Noe may just be Indiano, another Wolfson-trained horse who is coming off of a 5 1/2-length win in the Giant Ryan Stakes on Aug. 4.

"I don't want to run against each other," Wolfson said. "But when you are down here there are not a lot of options."